Feds seize weapons, ammo from La Mesa man

San Diego  Authorities announced Tuesday the arrest of a La Mesa man suspected of illegally buying dozens of firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition out of state and then bringing them back across state lines.

David F. Morgan, 55, was arrested late Thursday after agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms served a search warrant at his Avon Drive home, officials said.

He is accused of using false information and a fictitious address to get a valid Arizona identification card. He then used that identification to buy the weapons and ammo and transported them to California in violation of federal
law.

"This is a common scheme used by firearms traffickers, where they exploit less restrictive laws in neighboring states to purchase large numbers of firearms and then transport those firearms into California," said John A. Torres, special agent in charge of ATF's Los Angeles Field Division. "We also see this same type of scenario employed by organizations trafficking firearms from the United States into Mexico."

Authorities seized 48 firearms including rifles, handguns and several illegally modified weapons and 200,000 rounds of ammunition of various caliber, officials said.

Morgan has no known criminal history and the motive for his activity has not been determined, officials said.